The ambitions of some of the world's largest consumer brands in China are colliding with an unexpected new reality: hardball Mao-era politics

The ambitions of some of the world's largest consumer brands in China are colliding with an unexpected new reality: hardball Mao-era politics.

Increasingly, say China-based Western business executives, lawyers and consultants, a drive against alleged corporate price-fixing and corruption that has ensnared some of the biggest names in the global dairy and pharmaceutical industries has taken on a harsh political—and...